Yaya Diaby injury creates the perfect opportunity for a Buccaneers player to shine

It's already been a roller coaster ride of emotions for Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans at training camp.

Thursday was the perfect encapsulation of that, as the day started with Tristan Wirfs getting a massive $140 million extension, but was dominated by fears over what appeared to be a serious injury to top pass rusher Yaya Diaby.

He broke out as a rookie last season, going as far as to earn Rookie of the Year praise from GMFB, and he's primed to break out even more this year. That all got put on hold when he needed to be carted off the practice field with an ankle injury, one that luckily isn't as severe as first thought.

Still, Diaby is going miss the entire preseason and will probably be slow out of the gate when the regular season begins in September. This all creates a situation that could be afford rookie Chris Braswell to step up and make an immediate impact.

Chris Braswell has a chance to shine with Yaya Diaby out

Braswell was the Bucs' second round pick, someone the team chose over potentially landing another offensive lineman to rebuild things in front of Baker Mayfield. Pass rush was a big need heading into the offseason but it went unaddressed in free agency as Jason Licht tended to re-signing guys like Mayfield, Mike Evans, and Antoine WInfield Jr., all of whom are key pieces of the future.

That's what everyone is hoping Braswell will be, and the big shoes he already had to fill got even bigger after Diaby's injury.

He's not going to usurp Diaby as the starter but has chance to prove himself as a 1B option moving forward. That's a dream scenario for the Bucs, as it would go a long way in not only replacing Shaq Barrett, but solving the challenge of finding pass rush help.

Braswell's college tape is already enough to get excited about, but now he has a chance to prove that it can translate.

Braswell isn't the only outside linebacker with a massive opportunity to step up and prove himself. Todd Bowles mentioned Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Jose Ramirez as guys who he wants to see more out of after losing Diaby, and both guys need to have a good camp.

Ramirez was a late round pick last year who stuck around the practice squad, and represents the depth at linebacker but also how unproven it is. Tryon-Shoyinka is a different story, as he's in a prove-it year after having underperformed the last few seasons. He plays opposite Diaby but without him in the lineup it puts even more of a spotlight on JTS and will magnify both his successes and his struggles.

Losing Diaby obviously isn't ideal, but there could be some silver lining with the guys around him stepping up. He's not going to miss as much time as initially feared, and the best case scenario is that he returns with even more talent around him than existed when he went down.

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